Math Tactics

Mockingbird, making herself a quesadilla with two tortillas and cheese:
 "Mom I'm cutting my cheese wheel first in half... then in fourths...then eighths...then spider web!"


Because math comes E-asily to my right-brained, intuitive self...

Because nothing is more relaxing for me than teaching renaming in multiplication while hearing a baby cry herself to sleep in the next room on lawn-mowing day as someone else tells me they are hungry 30 minutes post lunch, and  my student at hand is falling over in their chair with whatever sound effects that particular child is known for.

Really. Not only am I the epitome of calm at that time, but it is just at that particular moment I often ponder on the joy and privilege of getting to teach this aspect of knowledge to my dear, dear children.

This would be the sole reason I buy candy now. and potato chips. and am looking forward to Halloween candy now for the first time--E-v-e-r. (We've already got our costumes planned.)

Also silly putty-which worked pretty well with 9dd today. No whining, could do mental math with it, and-did I mention no whining? She was fascinated with it since it was the first time in her life she'd seen the stuff, and played with it the entire time--coming to attention when I hinted it might be too distracting.

And this is hidden for when we hit long division again.

I Heart Librarians--I mean, Libraries

This is to you Mr Librarian with the dreamy blue eyes;
 I know someone else with gorgeous eyes...What was his name?..
 As soon as I see you behind the desk I lose all rational thought and go straight to your kiosk--even if I have to wait and there's another librarian open (the one that didn't even know your library had Gregorian Chants).
I ask if you have a certain movie even though I know how to work the Horizon Information Portal--Advanced Searches by Keyword if necessary. And if your library catalog doesn't have it, I even know that now I can request films through Interlibary Loan.
But I ask you anyway.
You don't even have to write the call number down. You are that good.
I follow you down the aisle of Drama and watch you find the case. As you hand it to me I hear you say,
"Good flick--have you seen it before?"
"Oh, no" I gush, "My husband has--My husband! I think I hear him calling me...My husband. On the phone, I mean...I better go. Thanks--"

My husband who doesn't have dreamy blue eyes.
He has dreamy brown eyes--how could I forget?
He is the man who lets me sleep in when he has to get up early, will go to 3 stores to find what I want, can make me laugh when I'd rather cry, and still tells me I'm beautiful on my worst days. Oh yes, and those dreamy brown-eyes.

How could I forget? Just kidding, honey- I never could, but I did forget something else I needed at the library...Don't worry, I'll just pick it up tomorrow.

Tomato Garden Notes

We hadn't been to the garden in weeks and discovered a jungle where only sprouts had been late one summer evening.

Children at twilight,
in the garden,
on safari,
lurking in the weeds.

Plants are up,
water's down,
a month ago,
just a seeds.

Tomato Treasure Hunt-
over a hundred
in our bucket.
Baby adds some stones.

Darkness settles,
those with decorum,
would be speaking
in hushed tones.

Tools are discovered,
in an unlocked shed,
guarded by a brown recluse.

Weapons
are handed out-
now they're on the loose!

Boys get shovels
and they dig,
a hole in middle of the path.

At a word ,
it's filled back up-
fearing someones'
wrath.

It's late
I'm tan-or is it dirt?
"You'll have to come back
to finish your work."

"It's time to put on make-up"
(a little boy's quote),
as mud goes up-
from toes to throat.

A train sped past,
 8 minutes since
 the shudder and the blast.

We know because
they filmed it,
filmed it to the last.

I hear tinkeling-
child-laughter-sounds,
like echoes, where I'm at.

Hide-and-seek is happening,
while
I am deep within
 the plant.


I can't help it-
It gets blurry.
Is it now-
Or is it then?

am I ten or-
am I thirty?
It's all so slow-
then-sudd-en.

I hear childhood...
I smell green...
I taste red...
I feel I've been.

BFSU Vol 1 Thread A Lesson Links

Vol 1

Thread A: Nature of Matter

 A/B1  Organizing things into Categories

A-2 Solids, Liquids, and Gases    They Might Be Giants song

A-3 Air is a Substance

A-4 Matter I: Its Particulate Nature

A-5 Distinguishing Materials

A-5A Magnets and Magnetic Fields                 utube  bill nye 1/3 ,  2/3,  3/3

A-6  Matter II: Air Pressure and the Earths's Atmosphere

A-7 Air: A Mixture of Gasses (Mixures & Chemical Reactions)

A-8 Matter II: Evaporation & Condensation

A-9 Matter IV: Dissolving, Solutions, and Crystallization

A-10 Rocks, Minerals, Crystals, Dirt, and Soil      3 min intro video

2012 Field Trips

Field Trips in 2011-2012 school year

 

Martin Luther King Walk; BYU

Princess and the Goblin; UVU play

Natural History Museum of Utah; SLC

The Hundred Dresses; BYU Children's play

How I Became a Pirate ;SCERA play

Tall Tales; SCERA play

Two Merchants of Venice; BYU Children's play

Christmas Concert in (only!)German; BYU & area German clubs

Utah Symphony Pictures at an Exhibition; Covey Center

Many BYU MoA workshops

Authors Panel Discussion; Provo Lib

Bean Museum ; BYU (incl. basement!)

Illustrators Panel Discussion; Provo Lib

Fancy Nancy play